A while back, I posted a batch of Spaz Stix paints for sale here on Slotblog. The ad was cancelled due to issues with shipping hazmat via USPS. Thanks to Mike R.'s invaluable assistance with rules and regs, I finally figured out the approved method for shipping flammable hazmat aerosol hobby paint paint cans through the USPS. The following is for the private individual wishing to see some hobby hazmat paint or similar item. Note: This is for domestic mailing only. I did not even consider international shipping.
I did not pursue UPS or FedEx options because the process cited by their local office staff required setting up accounts, hanging on line to talk to agents (FedEx hung up on me twice), and I didn’t want to bother with all that without having a business entity to justify the effort.
For a USPS shipment, here are the essential rules/regs to make absolutely certain are followed. Your USPS may require additional steps. Check with them first. For those who wish to read the entire rules and regs, USPS document 342.x series explains, in much detail, how to mail hazmat via USPS.
1) No more than a total of 1 liter/33.814 oz of fluid under pressure may be shipped. My packages came in well under that due to the packaging I used.
2) The individual container cannot be larger than 3.5 oz each.
3) Pressurized liquid containers must be wrapped in a sealed plastic bag to protect against leakage. Baggies are fine, but I used my FoodSaver and loose vacuumed-packed the cans
4) The package must be double-boxed. I used a standard USPS Medium Flat Rate box and separate corrugated cardboard to line and layer. This provided the required internal protection.
5) The package must be shipped USPS Ground only. I covered the USPS Medium Flat Rate box with USPS approved brown paper and labeled it.
6) Let the USPS desk agent know the package contains aerosol cans. I took pictures of the packing process to show to the agent.
7) State that these are hobby paints in a limited quantity shipment.
Find a USPS where the desk agent knows the rules and regs. I visited five different USPS facilities and received five different stories. The first answer was not accurate (probably my fault), three were outright "no," and the last was "OK, no problem." The last one was my main post office. It should have been my first stop.
Note: I was able to fit six 3.5oz cans comfortably with the extra packing described above. Cost of shipping from my TX address to the NY address selected was $12.90. Your mileage may vary.
This allegedly (my caveat) applies, except for Item #7, to ANY FLAMMABLE 3.5 oz aerosol container you wish to ship. Any NON-flammable aerosol can be shipped using ANY USPS service according to Reg 342.
I add this disclaimer: I had plenty of issues with consistent responses from multiple employees at multiple USPS facilities. In the end, at the last two, I referred them to their own Reg 342 for reference. They still said no, but provided information (stated above) as to what I needed to fix with my then current packaging. While there is no guarantee that the above be successful in every case, it is what was finally successful for me. Mike received his shipment.
Good luck!
Scott
